Ok so I'm installing new KYB AGX's and progress springs. I start on the rear of my 98 civic EX coupe. the driver side goes find and I get the strut spring assembaly out fine. Then the passenger side. The lower control arm to trailing arm bolt broke off. It just wouldn't give no matter how much PB blaster I used and blows with a hammer it took. Heat was out of the question because it is located in a bushing. What should I do? because I think I'm pretty fucked.

 

drill it out. start with small drill bit and move up. long process.
you can also use an angle grinder and cut the welded nut off.
use a new bolt and nut. tack the nut on later if you want.

 

Thanks man, my dad got in and suggested we grind the pressed nut off then pound it out. I tried drilling it and that was just not going to happen as it broke of about 1/2 inch from the head. I bought a grade 8, 3/8 x 3" bolt, pretty close to the original bolt size. I measured it with a vernier. I just hope that bushing isn't messed ip at all!

 

same thing happened to me. I took an air chisel to the bolt thing that is welded onto the trailing arm that you screw it into. Popped the welds off there and then just pulled the bolt out Torch would probably work too

 

When I drilled it i drilled a little bit into the bushing, but not too bad. I used a die grinder to grind that pressed nut thing off.

I thought of a torch but it's in the rubber bushing.

My dad came up with this idea to push the bolt out of the bushing using a puller and a thick piece of plate to hold against the bushing. The hole drilled in it is big enough for the stuck bolt to pop through but small enought to push against the endges of the bushing. Check it out:


The head and the tip of the bolt are on the right. I still have the middle piece I just never took a pic :P



The trailing arm bolt was stuck so bad it actualy bent some of the arms on the puller and it bent the keyed bolt we mad to put in front of the puller's threaded center section. I think it was a combo of rust and me hammering on it to try to get it out.

Look at how the pushing bolt is bent!!!


Since I messed up drilling it we ground the tip of that bolt to a keyed point to go in the hole i drilled in the bolt.

 

Living in upstate ny I know what you went through... Usually I just remove the LCA along with the strut/spring and just cut the bolt, then torch out the bushing/cut out the sleeve and install another one. Its just too much of a headache to try and save the bushing. and they're pretty cheap from Honda.

 

How hard is it to reinstall another bushing? I've never done it before and I don't really know what's involved. I thought I read you need a special machine that presses them into place.

Yeah I live just over here in Bennington, Vermont. Rust just destroys everything and make working on cars a bitch.

 

usually after you get the rubber portion out you can cut the inner sleeve out really carefully with a hacksaw blade. then I have my brother take it to his work (he's a saab mechanic) to press the new bushing in. I'm sure your local shop would do it for ten twenty bucks. You might even be able to use a vice, but i've never tried it. ---- the rust belt!!

 

I thought it was a pretty trick way you guys got the bolt out though! Never would've thought of that.

 

I know i did too I can't believe my dad thought of that. only problem was we had to cut that steel block with a hack saw.

talk about tired arms! 3/4 inch steel!